05 June 2012

Simple DIY: Fabric Bag Tutorial

The last time I was here, I showed you an easy bit of sewing you can use to tailor clothes. I got the sense that some of you are a little freaked out by sewing machines (I hear ya! I used to hate mine), so today I have something just for you. A versatile fabric bag you can make without sewing a single stitch.

It's a permanent fabric adhesive that sets quickly and is machine washable after 24 hours. (It's also non-toxic and has virtually no fumes.) It's my version of fairy dust.

To do this project all you need is:

Liquid Stitch

fabric for the outside

a sturdier fabric for the lining

a tape measure

and scissors.

First, measure and cut your fabrics. I cut the lining first, and then laid it on top of the outer fabric to check the size. (I wanted my bag to be about 10" across, but you can adjust for your needs.) As you can see, I left a few inches of extra outer fabric at the top. This will be the flap that folds down over the front of the bag:

Check to make sure you have an even amount of fabric space on all sides of the lining before you cut. I left about 1/2" all the way around.

Once the outer fabric is trimmed, put the lining aside until later. Grab your Liquid Stitch and start folding over the edges of your outer fabric.

Put a line of adhesive near the edge and press firmly for a few seconds. Repeat until all four sides are folded and sticking well.

Now it's time to bring back the lining. Place it on the outer fabric, facing up. (The backs of both fabrics should be touching.) While holding both pieces, fold up until the ends of the lining meet. You should have something that looks like this:

Use more Liquid Stitch to glue the newly folded sides together. To give you a better sense of what the lining is doing, here's the inside of mine:

So soft! And it also keeps the bag from flopping around as much. I can't remember the name of the company, but it's a heavy-duty upholstery grade fabric.

My outer material was a little wrinkly, so after the glue was dry, I gave it a quick once-over with the iron. Ah, much better:

Now I have a versatile new clutch, and I didn't even need to drag out the sewing machine! I used it as a purse the other night, but it could also be a jewelry holder for travel, or a Kindle cushion.

Is anybody else a fan of Liquid Stitch, or other no-sew glues? Have you ever made a little bag for yourself? How do you use it?

Paige Ronchetti lives in the Chicago
suburbs with her husband. They have no kids and no pets, which gives them a
lot of time for eating spicy food and looking for bargains. Paige's blog is
Little Nostalgia is a collection of projects and pretty things. There you
can find DIY tutorials, home decor inspiration, and affordable fashion
ideas. When she is not blogging, Paige is working on her vintage-inspired jewelry
lines, Little White Chapel and Oh Nostalgia. Connect to Paige via twitter or pinterest.

11 comments:

Liquid Stitch is new to me; it sounds like something that could come in very handy. Hope I'll be able to get hold of it - or something similar - here in little Norway (or it might be available in internet shops?). Your clutch looks lovely! I haven't made small bags yet, but I've just made a tote bag for my tango shoes. I used a heavy Vlieseline (iron-on fabric stiffener) between the bag and the lining to keep the bag from flopping.

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